Wild Goose Chase

Here's a funny Story.

 

This territory is fun. It's a lot of searching for English speakers, and right now there are a fair amount of brothers and sisters doing the search work. That being said, we have to be creative sometimes in order to find new people without stepping on each other.

 

We were out in service with the darling Langston's... love them! And Sheryl says that she's been wanting to check out this one area in the territory that we're working that has sign:

 

"VeggieFresh"

 

We assume that a lot English speakers would shop here because the sign appears to be in English. Maybe it's a produce shop or vegetable market, etc. So off we go up this lovely dirt, winding, bumpy road. It's really pretty with orange groves on either side and even some sugar cane fields.

 

Then we meet some vacalleros (real cowboys) who promise us that the VeggieFresh is right up the road. Well, we've gone this far... why turn back now??? So we keep bumping along. It is not even close to being "right up the road".

 





 

 

And we keep bumping along.

 

When we finally get there... Steve is not impressed. It is not a quaint little veggie stand, it is not a lovely farm market and it has not got one single solitary English speaker any where in sight. It is actually a distribution center for bell peppers.

But the guard was really nice. We couldn't take a tour because the boss lady wasn't there..... BUT SHE SPEAKS ENGLISH and Sheryl got her phone number. Can't wait to hear what wonderful thing happens. It was a fun ride and we had a good laugh.

 

The friends here leave no stone unturned. I really appreciate that. I would say that they truly "fully accomplish their ministry."

 

 

Bugaba.... The City of Roosters

 

Bugaba is on the outskirts of David, near La Concepcion. It is a suburb-type town. I like it. Carl was invited to give a talk for the English-group last Sunday. We went on Saturday afternoon and Andrew and Anna Johnson graciously provided us with a place to hang our hat. After a long/hot drive to Bugaba on the busses, they showed us the local park. It is really nice. For a small fee you can have access to all of the pools, the tennis court and a lot of open area. The larger pool is fed by a river. Really refreshing. Unfortunately, we got there too late to really enjoy all of the features, however it was a cool and refreshing location.

 

 

That was for you Donny and Tammy!!!                  



I thought we'd have to sleep on the floor, but they had a great blow-up air mattress. And because they lock the patio, and they're on the second floor, we slept with the front door open and the windows open. It's quite a bit hotter in Bugaba and David. So the breeze was really nice. And we fell asleep to some nice salsa music from the neighbors. And then..... about 2:00 am the roosters started. And let me tell you, I am not joking when I say that Bugaba is the City of Roosters. It should be their motto. It's a suburb, so a lot of houses. And I think each house must have a hundred roosters. And I actually mean roosters and not hens. Not only that, but dogs too. Where we stay in Boquete, there are some roosters and a parrot that pretends to be a rooster. But this is totally different. And once one goes they all follow. And one might think that a rooster is a rooster and they all sound the same... but no. Some roosters just don't have what it takes. But, it wasn't horrible, it was just very distracting, first of all because it really sounded like some of them were sitting on the kitchen counter, and second because I'm nosy and wanted to hear them. And I started to keep my ears out for the differences. It was fun. heeheehee (maybe you can get a sample in the video)

 

 

And then I was up early and hooked up their hammock for my first hammock ride!

 

This was an iguana in a mango tree in the neighbors yard. I cannot believe that Carl saw it.

Even when they pointed it out to me, it took me forever to find it. 

 

Meeting. The Kingdom Hall is really nice,

and then the literature room doubles as the meeting area for the English Group.

 

 

This is the brother, Asciel (sp?), who gave the talk while we were in Puerto Armuelles.  

 

 

Hospitality. The woman next to Carl is a Bible Study. She has made a lot of changes to live in harmony with Jehovah. She has a long story. (Anna had the privilege of studying with her while her study conductor was in the States.) For example, she was making good money, which is rare for the Panamanian people, working as a political canvasser. But when she learned about Jehovah's government, she made the decision to quit her job and go back to working for less money as a clerk. But then she had a job offer as a tutor, making a little more money for less hours. The catch: The job was in David, which would make it so that she couldn't make it back for the midweek meeting and she was worried about getting Friday off for the convention. So the sisters encouraged her to mention it to the potential employer. AND LO AND BEHOLD: THE EMPLOYER IS A SISTER!!!!!  So she got the job. : )  Just this month she became an unbaptized publisher.

            Seriously happy servants of Jehovah

Seriously silly servants of Jehovah

 



very busy week ... more so...

We are privileged to be here for the Circuit Overseers visit, Brother Larry Kline and his wife Providence. They serve both Panama and Costa Rica.  Grateful are we, as we will miss our own visit. I'm sure you will all be very upbuilt and encouraged. We have really enjoyed. We also sat in for the pioneer meeting. That was great. I didn't get the final number, but I think there were approx. 40+ reg. and aux. pioneers. It was lovely. There was a picture taken of the regular pioneers. I didn't think they would want us in it... we're so temporary, but they insisted. It was a really nice feeling. The friends here are very warm and inviting... of course. But I imagine it is hard for them because people are always coming and going. I have really appreciated the fact that they don't let that stop them from creating relationships that will last. It is a special place.

 

However, we have been out every day, and of course, there was an extra meeting. So I am sorry to say that I have not had time to post anything or even to cut Carl's hair. That's coming.

 

 

HOWEVER.....

Could this be our new home for the next two months????????

Stay-tuned

Where oh where will the Probasco's land?????? Oh, where oh where could it be????????

 

This is quite obviously the map of Panama. I thought this might help you visualize a little better where we are and where we have been and where we might end up.

 

Panama: Panama City, very big, about 7 hours to David. The International Airport is here.

 

David is the next biggest city, it is the capital of Chiriquí Province, where we are.

This is where the busses transfer. It is about an hour from Boquete, about a half hour from Bugaba

 

Bugaba is near Concepcion. It is not on this map. We  have been invited to help with the Spanish. There is no longer an English group, as of January it will be merged with David English congregation. This is where Carl gave the talk on Sunday.

 

Boquete is in the mountains north of David. It is where we are now.

If we stay here it would be with the Spanish Congregation or the Ngobe Indian Group.

 

Puerto Armuelles is to the south and west on the Pacific coast. We were there a  couple of weekends ago... they do not need our help at this time. Many have come to help.

 

Changuinola is to the north and west on the Caribbean side. We are talking to a brother there.

They need help... can we find temporary accommodations? That is in Jehovah's hands.

 

Colon is north of Panama City. We have contacted friends there. They need help as well.

 

SO... the big question is ?????????????????

Papa! Agua! AGUAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Hola, Agua, Papa, Agua Papa!! Papa papa papa - agua! agua!

Cocka-Doodle-Do ... He can't quit finish that one. 

 

All day long this bird, who lives right next to us, hollars and hollars. Sometimes he pretends he's the rooster. Sometimes he hollers for water ... although I'm not sure why, because he doesn't like being left out in the rain. And when he really gets going, Dave, the man of our house, goes out and hides in the bushes between the two houses and then just douses him with a squirt bottle until he falls off of his roost. Have some water!

 

We don't mind him. I think he's really funny. Sometimes I go outside and yell "agua papa" just to get him going. And sometimes I go outside and whisper "agua papa" just to get Dave going! heehee

 

As for the rest of the birds... I'm not an ornithologist or an avicultural consultant, therefore the disclaimer: I looked up each bird diligently in the following bird book that a brother graciously lent me for a week. We poured over the pages and read the descriptions and decided that this is as good as it's going to get. I've named them and I'm happy with the names - some birds may have to live with an identity crisis in the pages of this blog however in the name of expediency, I'm sure they would understand.

Please have fun looking at these beautiful birds.

I hope to find some more precious loves. If I do I will gather them together and just make a PART II

(If you double-click on the picture, you can see it in a bigger size.)

 



 

 

 

 Black Vulture - They have white tipped wings which you can barely see in this picture, and they fly with their feet hanging down. They usually fly really high, so it's difficult to get a good pic.

Black-bellied hummingbird

 

Black-headed Saltator 

 

Black-striped Sparrow

 

Blue-headed Parrot (this pic is from Wikipedia... it was too early in the morning to see his beautiful colors in Bugaba. But Andrew and Anna see them all of the time outside of  their house. )

 

Blue-Gray Tanager

  

 

Red Cardinal and Great Kiskadee (yellow)



Crimson-Crested Woodpecker (He was really huge. Almost as big as a pileated woodpecker)

Gray Hawk

This guy was really awesome looking. Bad pics

 

Great Egret

 

 

 Great Kiskadee

 

Great-Tailed Grackle (I love the music he makes - he's very creative and his songs vary constantly) 

 

Green Violet-Eared Hummingbird

 

 

Honey-Creeper (just a little guy but so cheeky) They've already migrated away.

So happy we were here in time to see them .

!!!PARTY

 here he is with the tanager

Tropical Mockingbird (he's a bit of a loaner - I guess that makes sense, as he's always copying everybody else. That can only go so long before they ignore you)

Northern Oriole - female

 

Thrush with a bright orange Northern Oriole 

Olive Tanager (maybe - this one leaves me uncertain)

Amazon Parrots - rescued  

Red-Crowned Woodpecker

 

 

Red-Fronted Parrotlet - wild 

Red-Fronted Parrotlet - less wild, will play for food

 

 

Scarlet Tanager 

 

Southern Lapwing 

 

EL TUCAN

The Toucan is really a lowland tropical bird, and we're in the mountains. I heard them while we were in Puerto Armuelles, but I never saw them . They are very social and apparently very friendly. This man has raised these from babies. He owns a hydroponic lettuce farm, which the friends love. He's like the lettuce Nazi, though, and you have to get there early. We went with Dave and Carla today. The lettuce really is good, but the toucans were awesome. I got a video of the interacting with "daddy". They really love him. And I think the feeling is mutual. It proves the necessity of interaction with the animals, the way Jehovah originally intended. This man is not very good with the people, but with the birds he becomes a different person. It is nice that he lets the customers see the toucans.

 

 

 

 

 Believe it or not, these woodpeckers are fierce. It doesn't matter the size - he will go after anyone who comes near the food. He actually pecks at them. They usually don't get too close. And once he wins "king of the banana" he keeps a really good look-out to make sure that no-one sneaks up on him. It's really funny to watch. He is fearless. We should imitate this bird in our own lives, regarding our relationship with Jehovah. Don't let anyone mess with us: no matter how big he thinks he is!

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little Jenny Wren.

A little Jenny wren,
Was sitting by the shed.
She wagged her tail,
And nodded with her head.

She wagged with her tail,
And nodded with her head.
As little Jenny wren,
Was sitting by the shed

This little baby sits outside of our window almost everyday and sings her little heart out. Her song is beautiful and pleasant and fills my heart with joy. One morning between classes I just leaned out the window and immersed myself in her song. I video'd some of it, too. I think Jehovah must stop and listen, as well as all of the angels, because she is so sweet and pure sounding.

 

 Yellow-Crowned Euphonia

 

 

Yellow-Faced Grassquit